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Pluggable Model-Based Security Policy Enforcement Mechanism for Software Development
No full textSecurity in software applications is frequently an afterthought. Even if developers are aware of software vulnerabilities, they possess little knowledge of how to secure the applications while writing codes. In addition, the lack of tools for security automation makes it more challenging to protect systems and applications. This dissertation introduces a framework to incorporate security policies for data fields in the transactions of software application during its development phase. The objective is to facilitate developers to apply security policies on the data required by the regulations. The extensibility of the presented model gives the flexibility to accommodate different security requirements and to implement them as security functions. With the simplicity of mapping data fields of business structures with security policies and their associated security functions, this approach provides the programmers, business domain experts and security experts a collaborative process to define and incorporate security requirements in software. The proposed model-based security policy mechanism addresses the complexity of securing confidential information at the process level by enforcing pre-defined security policies on the data before the data is transmitted outside the application boundary, regardless of the destination or repository that the data will be stored. The separation of security policies and the application provides a granular control to protect the data field via different security techniques such as access control or encryption. This mechanism is flexible so that it can be used in either legacy applications or new applications. The application of this approach on the payment card industry payment application data security standard has been evaluated to validate the flexibility and extensibility of the proposed model
Recapturing Water for Sustainability Through Redefinitions of Navigability and Ownership
Get PDFIn Defining Navigability : Balancing State Court Flexibility and Private Rights in Waterways, 36 Cardozo L. Rev. 1415 (2015), Maureen Brady explains that over the last two centuries, state courts have broadened the concept of navigability, and applied the new definitions to alter existing land titles. As a consequence, many non-navigable waterways have become navigable waterways, increasing public ownership and extinguishing private rights
Pace Energy and Climate Center 2015 Annual Report
Get PDFIn 2015, Pace Energy and Climate Center continued a 27-year tradition of successfully advancing clean energy policies and solutions in communities across the State of New York and the Northeast region, across the United States, and around the world. As a unique organization that operates at the boundaries between law, policy, business, and regulation, we continue to bring innovative thinking, strong analysis, technological understanding, and stakeholder engagement to the vital climate and energy challenges facing us today.
We have been pleased to become a key player in the New York Public Service Commission’s Reforming the Energy Vision (“REV”) initiative. REV seeks to devolve the electric utility of the future to accommodate new renewable and distributed energy resources, improve resiliency, and avoid significant increases in customer bills.
We operate with a small staff of highly capable experts, multiplied by the commitment and energy of student interns, and leveraged through a community of clean energy stakeholders. Pace identifies and understands the issues, crafts the solutions and improvements needed, and uses the tools of law and policy advocacy to change the way things are done—for the better.
In 2015, we continued and strengthened program efforts in many areas, expanded our reach an influence into new areas, and scored important victories in ensuring that clean, efficient, and renewable energy would be an increasing part of our lives, today and tomorrow. Facing the challenges of climate change up close, we design and implement solutions at the same scale—at the level of state and local policy and action—that will empower and support community initiatives wherever Pace works.
All our work is made possible by the generous support of our funders and the continued commitment of Dean David Yassky, the staff and faculty of the Pace Law School, and the entire Pace University team. Standing behind them is a strong network of Pace alumni and donors who help keep us all going. We couldn’t do it without each of them
A Case for Agile Techniques in Pedagogy - A Test Driven Agile Approach to Course Delivery
No full textEducators are continually searching for techniques to improve knowledge retention in the classroom. This research makes a case for employing agile techniques in pedagogical practices. The premise for the research is that poor knowledge retention exists because teaching typically follows a traditional waterfall approach, which studies show to be ineffective in software development. Agile software development, on the other hand, has gained acceptance due to its flexible approach and lightweight methodologies. The need for a flexible approach that adapts to students’ needs and focuses on value should be the new norm in the classroom. The “learn and forget” style of rote learning should be discouraged. This research proposes that delivering the course in order of importance, constant stakeholder collaboration, and adapting the delivery based on feedback can improve learning and knowledge retention. Through a test-driven development approach, continuous planning and frequent feedback, the research further proposes that students feel valued and because of this iterative planning and feedback loop, can continuously align course objectives to desired learning throughout the process. The research focuses on agile principles to enhance the teaching delivery methods and student learning in the classroom. This research does not focus on agile practices such as Scrum or eXtreme Programming (XP). The main objective of the research is to determine if incorporating agile principles provides any benefits to knowledge retention. The researcher proposes that an agile approach will improve students’ learning, retention, and satisfaction
Extending a Business Performance Improvement Framework with a Semantic Enhanced Hybrid Recommender System Design
No full textPerformance Management Systems (PMS) have been recognized as a crucial element to helping organizations improve their performance. They provide methodologies to help organizations identify Key Performance Metrics that help measure and improve performance. One of the most important Performance Management Systems is the Balanced Scorecard (BSC). There seems to be a common set of universal business goals that people from multiple organizations, naturally seem to select as goals to improve business performance. So it would be logical to assume that there would be a commensurate set of universal Business Metrics that people would also use. The research show there is not. The Balanced Scorecard systems do not provide any guidance or recommendations on which metrics are most effective or valuable. In addition, the Balanced Scorecard System does not provide any guidance or recommendations on what data is needed to calculate the metrics; where the data is located, or what challenges organization will face as they attempt to implement the system. What is needed is a Recommender Systems that will extend the Balanced Scorecard system by providing stakeholder with specific recommendations on which metrics others with similar goals have found valuable; the location of the data needed to calculate the metrics; and the barriers practitioners will face as they attempt to implement a BSC. A Recommender System is defined as “any system that produces individualized recommendations that has the effect of guiding the user in a personalized way to a useful objects in a large space of possible options. Modern Recommender Systems designs are very good at making certain types of recommendations like which movies to watch or which books to read. However, they are inadequate when attempting to make other types of recommendations like which metrics to apply to improve desired business outcomes, which systems or what data is needed to calculate a metric, or which barriers one should be expected when attempting to change a business process. This research will introducing a Semantic Enhanced Hybrid Recommender System Design that will address these shortcomings, and extend the Balanced Scorecard System
A Comparative Study of Collaborative Filtering Recommendation Systems Using Algorithms to Impute Large Sparse Matrices
No full textIn the modern era of computing, recommendation systems are a key component for enterprise systems and consumer applications including e-commerce and web applications. The challenge for these systems is the accuracy and quality of the calculations especially when dealing with sparse amounts of data. This research provides an empirical study of the problems associated with a sparse matrix when encountered by collaborative filtering recommendation systems. The research conducts a comparative analysis of different algorithms used to address the issue of sparse data while trying to predict and prescribe (recommend) the optimal choice to users. The research will compare statistical techniques used to impute missing data with other estimations techniques for predicting missing values. The research will show why Matrix Factorization, Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE) or Gradient Optimization methods work better for large sparse matrices, over simple mean, sub-group mean or regression methods
Personality Assessment Inventory-Adolescents (PAI-A) Personality Subtypes of Self- Injurious Behaviors and Their Relationship to Nonsuicidal Self Injury and Suicidal Behavior In Adolescents
No full textThis study investigated the different personality characteristics and components of adolescent NSSI, and those personality components found to differentiate between the different subgroups of these adolescents. The study sought to examine whether we can develop more homogenous groups within the adolescent population engaging in NSSI behaviors, and if membership in these clusters have empirical relationships with NSSI behavior, as evidenced by the chart review, PAI-A, and Rorschach variables. Archival data from a sample of 181 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 were utilized. A combination of hierarchical cluster analysis and k-means partitioning procedures revealed the presence of four clusters of homogeneous groups of adolescents. Meaningful relationships between cluster membership and the external criterion variables were explored. The clinical utility of these clusters indicates that cluster 1 was comprised of adolescents who were cognitively, affectively, and physiologically depressed, as well as suicidal. Cluster 2 was comprised of adolescents who demonstrated more borderline features of affective instability, negative relationships, and self-harming behaviors, as well as being cognitively, affectively, and physiologically depressed, and suicidal. Cluster 3 was comprised of adolescents who were affectively unstable, and verbally and physically aggressive, with self-harming tendencies. Lastly, cluster 4 was comprised of adolescents with no significant elevations and normal personality patterns. The Borderline Self-Harm scale on the PAI-A did not significantly predict NSSI behaviors, suggesting that clinicians in inpatient settings cannot reliably use the PAI-A self-harm (SH) scale to assess the likelihood of such behaviors
The Brazilian Amazon Timber Industry and the International Mechanisms of Timber Trade Control – Combating Illegal Logging and Associated Trade
Get PDFIllegal logging and its associated trade are one of the main causes of degradation of the Amazonian Rainforest in Brazil. They spring from several deficiencies in the regulatory and monitoring systems. The purpose of this work is to recommend mechanisms to overcome these deficiencies to eliminate illegal logging and its associated trade in the long-term and to enhance the appreciation of the standing forests and the sustainable use of their natural resources.
Chapter 1 provides an overview of the Brazilian tropical timber market’s trends, and briefly describes the main stages of timber supply chain to build familiarity with the activities surrounding it. Chapter 2 presents the aspects of the Brazilian federal environmental regulatory system of timber supply chain that are essential for further analysis of illegal undertakings.
Chapter 3 provides information on the factual aspects of illegal logging and associated trade in the Amazon. It analyzes the sector’s features and deficiencies and examines how effective the enforcement of the Brazilian environmental law has been to date. Chapter 4 describes the international mechanisms of timber trade control in use worldwide. It focuses on those systems that are the most effective and have beneficial impact – or potential beneficial impact if better promoted – on the Brazilian timber industry.
Finally, chapter 5 recommends a multi-faceted approach to be implemented by the Brazilian Government with the cooperation of the international community, non-profit organizations, and the private sector. It suggests strategies to promote effective international timber trade control mechanisms within the Brazilian Amazon timber industry, and to adapt effective tools provided by those mechanisms to the Brazilian environmental regulatory system. These strategies include instruments from the United States Lacey Act and the European Union Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade Action Plan, forest certification schemes, and the International Forest Regime. This work also provides recommendations to improve the efficiency of control mechanisms that are currently but poorly implemented in Brazil
Raisins and Resilience: Elaborating Home\u27s Compensation Analysis with an Eye to Coastal Climate Change Adaptation
Get PDFThe State of New Jersey, the Borough of Harvey Cedars, and the United States Army Corps of Engineers were all preparing for an event like Hurricane Sandy years before the 2012 super-storm made landfall along the Mid-Atlantic coast. The governments began, for instance, a major dune restoration project in 2005 in order to protect the New Jersey coast from massive storm surges that could destroy homes and businesses. To carry out the effort, the local governments sought to purchase the right to build along the seaward portion of property owners\u27 land, and would then construct roughly twenty-foot-high, thirty-foot-wide dunes. If the government and the landowner could not agree on a price or the landowner refused to sell, the government would acquire the necessary strip of property using eminent domain: the right of government to take private property for public use as long as it offers just compensation.
This Article is about the proper way to calculate just compensation when government partially takes private property for a use that provides a degree of benefit to the remaining property
Waste Management vs. Climate Mitigation: How CO2 Sparked a Clash of Environmental Values
Get PDFThe looming threats of climate change dominate global politics, national and economic security, science, and environmental policy. As such, global, national, regional, local, federal, and state strategies are being developed to slow and mitigate the devastating effects of a warming climate. One such strategy that is slowly being used on a global and national scale is geologic sequestration, where carbon dioxide (CO2) is captured, compressed to a supercritical state, and injected underground for permanent removal from the atmosphere. At the same time, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) regulates the transport, storage, and disposal of solid and hazardous waste, in which certain supercritical CO2 streams are included. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has exempted CO2 streams from hazardous waste regulations (RCRA Subtitle C) as long as the streams are injected into Class VI underground injection control (UIC) wells under specified procedures and conditions. However, EPA kept supercritical CO2 streams within the definition of solid waste, thereby retaining some RCRA liability. There is an inevitable conflict between the policy goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and responsibly managing waste disposal, and this is particularly illustrated through EPA’s conditional exemption and Class VI UIC well regulations. Adding to the conflict, there are some legal challenges to EPA’s position that CO2 streams may be considered a solid waste. Part II of this paper defines “solid waste.” Part III explains the conditional exemption of CO2 streams from hazardous waste regulation. Part IV describes the UIC program and examines how this illustrates the RCRA-climate mitigation clash. Part V explores the legal challenges to EPA’s conditional exemption and comments briefly on their merits